Messages - Seragil

He screamed as her hand slipped into him and sucked out all that he was. He had died many times in his long life, but this was the most excruciating, the most draining of his self. He felt his bones shatter and crumble within him, the bone fragments piercing and shredding flesh and organs alike as he used the last bit of oxygen in his lungs to fill the night air with the sound of his torturous death cry. Maybe, just maybe, this Blond Bitch Witch had managed to do the impossible and kill him for real this time.

With that possibility blooming in his dying mind, his last thoughts were of Arutha and of regret for the life they might not get to live. Arutha had brought hope and love back into a life that had for centuries become nothing but a burden, and in return all Naoise could do was leave him with the potential pain of his loss. At least he had spared him from having to watch him die yet again, he though as his shriveled, lifeless body fell to the ground where it split apart like the dried up desiccated, mummy corpse, Tess’s touch had turned him into; spilling what little insides he had left in a small circle beneath her floating feet. Unaware that his soul mate, Arutha, had just newly arrived to the cemetery on his motor bike in time to see the whole nightmarish scene.

As the cats pain filled death yowl filled the night and Lacy fell with a dagger in her chest not far from where she herself sat sprawled upon the ground and Tess’s fireball came flying towards her face, Shiobhans control snapped and the power she had been constantly summoning yet denying since her parents death exploded into the star filled night like a nuclear super nova.

“I said Stop!” her words were softly spoken but they were filled with such pure power and absolute command that for a mere moment it seemed that the world itself stopped and took heed. The air stilled as the cemetery went eerily silent even the scrambling undead ceased their shuffling and silenced their moaning and the stars above stopped shining and went dark for a micro second in answer to that command. It had been an age since anyone had spoken with such authority but the young witch was neither trained or ready to bear such a mantle of power and so the moment came and went.

Shiobhan had all the time in the world to stretch her hand up and catch the fireball hurtling towards her, and no time at all. The fire ball smacked into her hand and she absorbed into her. The gasp of Lacy struggling for breath drew her attention and she crawled over to the fallen police officer. The knife was buried deep in her chest and blood pooled from the wound and ran down her sides and by the way she was breathing Shiobhan suspected the dagger had nicked her lungs. She had never healed such damage before and wasn’t sure she was even capable of it but she pushed her doubt aside and placed her hands on either side of the blade. She used her mind to pull the dagger out and threw it aside as she poured light and life into Lacy. Her hands glowed golden and bright and she tilted her head back in ecstasy as power thrilled through her and slammed into the woman under her hands making her body buck from the force of it.

The light in her hands died as she finished healing and Shiobhan gently caressed Lacy’s face, although she was now healed the healing had not been gentle and Lacy would be weak and a little out of it from the amount of power that had been shoved into her to safe her life. As Shiobhan lifted her face she spotted Tess laying on the ground and rage overcome her. She could still hear the sound of the cat screaming in pain from the viscous and cruel death Tess had delivered him and her hands were sticky with Lucy's blood. Rage filled, and out of control with the sudden and temporary power surge she took a step towards her fallen and lost sister witch.

With a flick and twist of her fingers she summoned wind and lifted Tess’s fallen body back into the air and threw her back to the ground again with enough force to break bones, she then summoned thick roots and vines to encase the blond witch and keep her imprisoned.

“I am going to bury you alive and tear you apart, you fucking bitch” she hissed angrily, her hair lifting and moving around her as if she were in a strong wind. She was drowning in rage and a power she was not ready to receive.

He strolled towards Ari and his group, grabbing a champagne flute along the way so that he might fortify himself whilst being surrounded once more by these most un-natural of creatures. Vampires felt like abandoned tombs and dusty crypts and as a species he looked upon their existence as an insult to well…everything, but especially compared to his own angelic race, it wasn't that he hated them it was more to do with the fact that as a supernatural species they should have been at the bottom of the totem pole, maybe one step above zombies but the fact that these undead monstrosities were considered the superior beings of the supernatural world was downright ludicrous and beyond insulting, but he also had to admit that they were the most prevalent and prolific supernatural species in the city if not the world and he needed to make more contacts, as a race they were less then pond scum compared to his majestic and divine species, but as individuals...well...everyone had their uses.

He smiled warmly as he approached the group and almost stopped when he spotted Sam, one of the few vampires he had spent some time with and although he thought the fact that she was a vampire a travesity, she had spunk and spirit and she had her uses too. She had sent him a cryptic text message the night before he knew she would be here, but he hadn’t expected to see her look so...modern chic. She looked good he thought to himself but as he got closer, he did what her text message requested of him and so pretended he had never met her before. As he came up beside Ari, he looked at her and Damien and gave them a friendly smile, his eyes filled with mild curiosity and nothing more as he gave them a small nod of greeting. He hated small talk but he hoped this group would be worth the aggravation of the insipidness of the whole thing.

“A good evening to you all, forgive me for my intrusion but I saw you all over here and thought I might join you.” He smiled again and raised his glass to the collective group before smiling in turn to Ari.

“Ari was it not?” he asked pleasantly “We weren’t introduced when I met you earlier. I’m Saraekiel. And may I ask what ever happened to that intriguing animal you had accompanying you? A wolf was it not?”

Naoise hated the car ride, he hated cars in general; they were nothing but a pollution bomb and they were a killing machine (as the zombies were finding out if all the sudden and explicable bumps were any indication). He had died more times in the last century under the wheels of a car then any other creature or weapon in his twelve hundred years of life and so he sat hunched on the floor the entire wretched trip with his mind on Arutha. He had wanted to check up on him but there had been no time for that or for explanations. He had however managed to tell him where they were heading and that he thought it was too dangerous for him and that he should stay in the motel room and keep the doors locked.

The milling dead getting squished beneath the car tires reminded him of the black plague. The living dead walked the streets then too albeit they were still living and not undead, but they had been run down, cut up and burned to ash as no doubt these modern-day death bringers would be. Still they caused the destruction of entire cities and towns and the merest touch was more often then not a death sentence. At least these walking corpses couldn’t spread their undead condition. He hoped anyway.

He tried touching minds with his companions again but either the druid couldn’t hear him, or he was blocking him out with his concern and worry of the unfolding events around them. Shiobhan was so blinded mentally he was surprised she could still manage to see at all. As for Tess, as soon as she got close enough, he could smell she was naught but lies and deceit and so wanted nothing to do with her. As for the two in front, Lacy felt like she could have the talent but he didn’t know her and this wasn’t the time to start messing with peoples brains and Maria, she had most definitely heard him earlier and demonstrated that she could talk back to him but she confused him, although he could sense she had a strong positive otherworldly connection he could also smell her vampiric blood, as weak as it was and vampires had been nothing but trouble for him and so he was unsure of how to proceed. To trust or not to trust.

The question was made mute when the car came to a screeching halt and they all became a jumbled mess with Tess’s foot kicking him in his ribs, he so wanted to dig his claws in and rip her leg open in retaliation but he didn't want his claws tainted by touching her. When the door was opened, he flew out of there like a bat out of hell.

The air in the cemetery stank of warped, black magic and death, the scorched taint of it scorched his nose and he wanted to yowl from the burn of it. He was busy rubbing his nose against his leg when Sabrina came into sight and so didn’t notice her till she was practically on top of him.

At her words of rebuke, he slunk low to the ground as he was overcome with feelings of shame; even if he hadn’t done it to her, he did often attack first and ask questions later. Such an attitude wasn’t great for making friends, but it did keep him from being snacked on more oft then not.

~~~

Shiobhan straightened under the onslaught of pure power that Sabrina’s mere presence smashed into her. She felt a little faint as more layers of denial and self-delusion were ripped from her. Her self-induced belief that she and her family were freaks in a world of mundane normalcy was quickly and irrevocably turning to ash and dust around her and she could no longer deny the reality of the kind of world she lived in. However, her blind denial of the truth of the world didn’t mean she wasn’t knowledgeable or without power and as Tess spoke her incantation, she turned to the witch standing beside her in confusion, a frown furrowing her brow. Why was she casting a glamourie? It made no practical sense, unless she was trying to hide from the zombies somehow.

Her confusion was doubled at Sabrina’s words and for a moment she thought Sabrina was talking about her and the family’s secrets that she harbored and so looked towards her in shock and fear. As Tess grabbed her, her satchel slipped from her shoulder and fell to the ground at her feet. Her heart jumped into her throat and fluttered like a small trapped bird as she felt the cold press of metal against her skin, the point of Tess's dagger hard and unforgiving as it dug into her tender soft flesh. Now, she finally understood, maybe more then Tess realized or intended.

She could feel the darkness and death energy around Tess as well as her lost, confused and tormented spirit as she pressed herself into her back, but more, she sensed that other presence, it called to her, it wasn’t its darkness that pulled at her but more the feel of its energy. It called to her Blood and her Blood called back. The last time she felt something like this was with her parents. Her Aunts, being her father’s sisters didn’t have the strength of Blood to call her thus. Feeling her danger, the power of her legacy swelled and rose within her and as fear of it wracked her anew, she reached her hand up to Tess’s and wrapped her fingers tightly around the hand holding the knife to her throat.

“Stop!” She exclaimed angrily, to both Tess and her rising power. Fear now permeated her and the others, if they sensed it, might think it was because of Tess and her hostage situation but it wasn’t, her control was slipping…slipping…slipping...

~~~~

Naoise flattened his ears against his head, arched his back and hissed as Tess dropped her illusion, he'd known she was a liar, but he hadn’t suspected this. Bloody witches!

He felt Tess use telekinesis to move and hold the daggers and he had to admit she was good, but so was he. As Wren started to lower his staff, he tried again to speak mind to mind with him. *I’ll distract her, be ready*

He bounded towards Shiobhan but instead of trying to physically knock a knife down he fought Tess for the mental control of them, and tried to push all of them deep into the earth whilst yanking Shiobhan’s satchel towards them and having it land between Wren and Sabrina’s feet, spilling charged crystals, a couple of crystal wands thrumming with latent power, blessed and charged herbs and her athame across the ground.

He didn’t try for the dagger Tess was holding to Shiobhan’s throat, but he hoped the assault on her mind for the control of all the other daggers would be enough distraction to stop her cutting the poor young witch open.

Shiobhan didn’t say much in the crazy bumpy car drive to the cemetery, enough to introduce herself and learn everyone else’s name. Instead she concentrated on trying to ease her screaming headache, usually head blind to people’s auras and gifts something about tonight had torn more of her own bindings off of her third eye and her head was filled with the presence of all her companions. Lacy felt untrained power wise but her presence was strong and clear non the less and Maria confused her, her energy felt similar to Flicks but completely different at the same time, she didn't think she was a necromancer like Tess had suggested as she could feel her connection to the Gods and her power impressed and awed her, as did the druid Wrens, he felt strong and steady and his connection to the earth was unmistakable, it sang so loudly to her, called to hear. She wanted to speak with him but he made her feel nervous, the fact that he was also the first half naked guy she had ever seen didn’t help either, Flick as beautiful as he had appeared in his human form didn’t count and so she spent most of the trip looking out the car window as she didn’t want to get caught peeking glances at him, plus riding in a police car to stop a zombie apocalypse really wasn’t the best place to start up a conversation and. As for Tess, she was another whose power felt comfortable on her albeit it was a little chaotic but then the Goddess was light and dark, life and death, everything and nothing all at once, so who was she to judge? The Goddess and God accepted all who came to them and many a witch weaved light and dark to suit their ends. It wasn’t power or the gift that made someone evil or good but what and how they chose to do with it. As for the cat nobody said anything about it and so she assumed it was Wrens familiar, or animal companion, or totem or whatever but it too felt of power, though muted somehow.

All their mixed energies pressed against her, making her head pound and making it abundantly clear that all of them spent their time, accepting, practicing and honing their different powers and gifts, whereas as she spent most of the time ignoring and running from hers, but she had promised herself that would change, hence why she was still here.

As the car came to a screeching halt she ended up almost falling into Wrens lap and was doubly glad Tess was in the middle of them and stopped her fall, it didn’t help her from blushing though as Wren helped her from the back of the car.

As she followed them into the cemetery proper, she closed her eyes as the feel of the earth free from asphalt and cement rushed into her, rejuvenating her and easing the pain in head somewhat. As she connected further, she could feel what had been done, how the earths power had been twisted and turned towards an evil goal and how the life of a great tree had been used as a sacrifice. The residual feel of the dark energy used felt wrong, tainted by something other, a different and darker presence and it called to her Blood, her eyes flew open in shock as she quickly squished that part of herself, that deeper power, the true power she ran from. As her eyes flew open she looked in the direction of the tree and saw the tall woman approach. The presence of the others had felt like a constant beating of a drum in her head, but this? This woman’s power crashed into her like a tidal wave, causing her to swoon and stumble where she stood.

Naoise cuddled into Arutha and managed a weak purr, weakened as he was from the collar’s attention. At Arutha’s final words he looked up at the man holding him and gently brushed his mind against his. *You matter to me too Arutha. So much so that at times it scares me*

He lowered his head and curled up in Arutha’s lap, those small movements all he could manage at the moment with his body still aching and sore from its recent trauma but his mind still stayed softly connected to his friends.

*I haven’t felt this strongly about anybody in a long time, and now all this. I don’t know what to do anymore. I used to have control of my life, now it’s a mad and twisting whirly dervish and I feel guilty for dragging you and your sister into it but at the same time…* he turned his gently mental touch into a caress of his thoughts against Arutha’s *I am so glad you are here with me, that you are in my life, that I am not alone* his mental touch turned to normal as he started to retreat back to himself. * I guess that makes me a selfish creature as well but if it means I get to have you here with me, for however long you choose to stay then I don’t think I overly care Mo grá*

Saraekiel stood for a bit and watched all the glittery vampires move and maneuver around the garden grounds as he tried to decide to which group, he would move to. His eyes perked up as the delicious yummy one from earlier approached but then continued past him to Sabrina, dragging his companion with him but still exuding that intoxicating chaotic mix of emotions, which only got stronger when they joined the demon giantess. He watched them with his head tilted slightly in curiosity and contemplation, their emotions where just there hanging out begging to be played with but when his eyes moved over Sabrina again, her silvery orbs bored straight back into him and so he decided to leave them to their chitchat. Everyone seemed to be friends with Sabrina, and he had been right, she was most interesting indeed, there was something about her he just couldn’t place and that intrigued him. She was something new and something old and all enigma, maybe he should try and wrangle a date from her too, but later. Now was for fun.

He flicked his eyes over the crowd again and spotted the blond younger ancient that had brought the wolf over to Charon earlier and so with a small smile he started to saunter his way in that direction

Shiobhan frowned with confusion as many of her trapped zombies fell apart without any need of the herbs and when the last of the zombies exploded in fire she turned quickly, utterly surprised as she spotted the witch further down the street and then the small group across from her, She had been so focused on what she had been doing and forcing herself to act rather then run away screaming she hadn’t noticed anyone else was here. She leaned against the car and took a breath and allowed herself a moment to process everything she had just seen and done.

This was all too much she though as her breathing started to speed up, First Flick, now zombies? Those had been honest to goddess zombies she just fought with her magic and in public and she could still feel more on the move, their very presence a black stain in her mind. When she left her rooms above the cafe she had expected something but not this, ot in her wildest dreams would she thought zombie apocalypse, it was like stumbling out the door and landing into a "The Walking Dead" meets "Charmed" mash up nightmare. She wanted to go home and pretend this wasn’t real, this was all crazy.

Ever since Flick who turned out to be a vampire of all things, had convinced her that he and the whole bloody supernatural world at large was real, she had started having double vision and migraines as she walked around the city and she could feel one coming on now as she flicked her gaze between the blond witch down the road and the small group of people across from her at the motel, they all seemed to have some kind of glow around them but as she rubbed her eyes and then blinked tiredly at them it faded.

She blinked again as she noticed the guy had a staff, her Aunt had one too and she knew what a potent weapon and energy source it could be, and was that a black cat winding around his ankles? Perfect! this just became "Charmed" meets "Harry Potter" meets "The X-Men" on acid, that or a family gathering in her Aunts back yard.

But this crazy wasn’t over, she could feel the zombies getting further ahead, and this was real and people were in danger so she sucked in a deep breath, pushed off of the car and made her way to the staff wielding half naked guy, figuring her sister witch would make her way over and join them as well. It wasn't until she kicked a rubbish tin lid and stumbled that she realized she was still in her pajamas. She wanted to fall into a hole and die.

~~~

Naoise sank bank onto his haunches as the woman spoke to him, she felt strange, almost other worldly. An angel maybe and that shadow creature must be this Pangool?.

He felt superfluous and less then useless as the small group effectively fought off and cleared the zombie infestation in the street without any help for him. As the two witches came into sight and he knew they were witches just by the feel of their power, he made his way to the druid and sat at his feet where he watched their approach warily. They seemed alright but witches could be tricksy.

Saraekiel rolled his eyes at Shae's revelation. Normally he would have become angry as his business was his business, but unlike practically everyone else he was acquanted with he trusted Shae explicitly and it also helped that this information could help rather then threaten him if it got out.

"Well" She exclaimed with barely contained glee as she tossed the last of the leaves in the steaming pot " After our meeting on the boardwalk I got really sick and tired of all this name stuff. So one day when he was in the library downstairs I did a summoning spell using his name. It didn't work, then i went down stairs and tried stabbing a voodoo doll inscribed with his name on it, in front of it. It didn't work"

She turned and smiled sweetly at Kiel "Did it Pigeon?"

"Call me Pigeon one more time and I swear the next time you shift shape I will collar you with silver and sell you to a pet store" he replied with a playful tone, his eyes however said he meant every single work as he smiled ever so sweetly back at Shae

She looked at Sam and rolled her eyes slightly before continueing. "We fought over my so called deplorable actions for a week or so and then he admitted i was right and we haven't mentioned it since"

Saraekiel grounded his teeth as he chopped up the celery and radish and imaged what Shae would look like as a pillar of flame. Maybe it was time they split for awhile, before he did something she would regret. "I never said you were right, ever"

Naoise awoke with a start, he could have sworn he had heard Gaelic and more, the power of a druid. It had been years, centuries infact since he had felt such a call. Too long; figuring what he had felt was but the last remnants of a dream he ignored it but still feeling unsettled by it he carefully uncurled himself and jumped off the bed, making sure as to not disturb the sleeping man he had been laying beside. As he padded across the room he felt it then, the taint, the evil, followed by the screech of tires and the sound of flying bullets. No way Arutha could sleep through that. *Quick get on the ground* he sent him as he ran towards the door. *Lock the door behind me and stay low* he sent urgently as he used his telekenisis to open the door just enough to slip through and shut it behind him.His eyes opened wide in horror as he the shambling undead army stumbled by, attacking and destroying whatever they could as they made there way up the street.

“Codlata leis an talamh”

At hearing the words his head turned in disbelief. He had heard it, it was real! His eyes locked onto the half-dressed druid talking to the police officer and his green eyes gleamed as he recognized one of his own. Druidic power glowed around this guy, green, thick, vibrant and full of life. Yet even with his level of power Naoise doubted he could handle such a horde of undead like this on his own and so streaked towards him.

There wasn’t much he could do as the damned cursed collar around his neck prevented him from being able to access or even use most of his abilities but the power was still there if the druid could tap into him and use it.

*I am here, use me if thoust can* he sent mentally towards the mind of the druid, yowling the same message aloud in the hopes that the druid would understand one way or the other as he weaved his way towards the group,

Only to stop in his tracks as a woman and a shadow spirit suddenly walked infront of him. *Daghdha’s Fiery Balls!* he swore in utter starlement *What the fuck are you?*

~~~~~~~~~~~

Shiobhan followed the police cars as fast as she could on her vesper, but it was a lost cause. She wasn’t worried though as she had a feeling they were both heading to the same destination anyway. She had been scrying again, trying to clarify or get more information about the portents she had been shown earlier that week, but naturally all she got was a headache. She seriously didn’t know why she bothered with that shit anyway, everything was always vague and confusing, usually she just rang her aunts and let them do the scrying rubbish but ever since she had met Flick she had started practicing more, with everything. It was making her more of a freak than ever before.

However, she couldn’t ignore when the voice and power of Gaea screamed at her and so had grabbed her satchel of herbs, crystals and other witch paraphernalia, jumped onto her moped and raced towards where the source of the disturbance pulled her still wearing the clothes she was going to go to bed in, a pair of striped light-blue and white pajama bottoms and a loose pale blue t shirt that proudly proclaimed that Witches Did It in Circles.

She practically jumped off the vesper to avoid colliding with a zombie and allowed it to plough it down as she used her connection to the earth to summon vines and roots to pin it still as she pulled out a jar of spelled herbs from her bag. The herbs were to banish evil and negate negative magic. As she sprinkled it over the trapped writhing zombie, it stilled then slowly fell apart. She then used her vines and roots to pull the remains back beneath the ground, leaving nothing but a pile of torn up asphalt and dirt in its wake.

She slowly made her way to the abandoned police cars trapping and pinning the undead in front of her, then sprinkling them her herbs. Not noticing the group in front of the motel yet, she scrounged in her bag for more herbs with a worried frown; there wasn’t much left.

“Worrying and being responsible for so many people sounds like a serious and fulltime job but knowing most of the districts are led by such wise, strong and stable leaders gives me peace of mind and makes me doubly glad I am not one. Leadership sounds like such a drag.” He said with honest sincerity before smiling at Charon. “What would be the most opportune time tomorrow evening Charon? I assume you would prefer something not too early?” He was done politicking for the night, he had won a meeting with the District Leader of the East and hopefully started the ball rolling to de-fanging an upstart tyrant wannabe and had introduced Zoheret and Charon one to the other. No doubt Zoheret would take over at playing politics and she was welcome to it.

He would wait politely for a response from Charon before saying, ”Perfect. Now if you don’t mind, I am going to leave you two to chat together whilst I go play with your guests.” He would say before correcting himself. “Mingle, I meant mingle with your guests” he would then grin devilishly, fooling no one to his intentions before giving a short bow to both and leaving their company.

As he strutted down the stair once more he would wink cheekily at Kerr as he passed him (Not having a clue as to who he was) then he would barely brush his fingers on Sabrina’s arm to gain her attention and congratulate her on her new social standing. He remembered the flash of her eyes when he had summoned fire earlier and thought about stopping for a chat but he would simply give her a friendly smile before moving further onto the garden grounds. The air was a tingle with chaos, and he wanted to play.

Saraekiels eyes glittered with interest as Charon expressed his displeasure at his undead compatriots actions. Dissent amongst the ranks was always a fun toy to play with. His lips curled upwards in a warm smile at the extended invitation to visit the next night. he was intrigued by what the old schemer might have to say.

When Charon mentally blared his announcement he winced, although the only physical sign was a slight flicker of an eye. He turned towards Sabrina and politely clapped along with everyone else. At least she wasn't another upstart coffin crawler.

At Zoherets approach and greeting he smiled honestly for the first time that evening. After having to pretend to play nice with all these lesser beings she was like a Herald of the Divine and a balm to his soul.

“Zoheret love, Perfection can never be tyranny” he admonished playfully, his tone light and respectful as it had been to everybody he had conversed with so far. However, he had no doubt she would know it for the bullshit it was and would play along. “Please, allow me to introduce to you my companion, our most esteemed, charming, genteel and generous host. Charon.”

He suspected the effect the misshapen ancient would have on her and how repulsed she must be by him but the only outward or mental sign that he understood and shared her opinion was a little darkening of his eyes “And we don’t have a peoples remember. After all, I thought the purpose of this District Leadership stuff was so that we can all come together as one people with understanding and equality for all” he stated, spouting practically the same ridiculous bullshit he had just said to Charon a moment ago as he looked at Zoheret with glittering eyes. Angels were the only race of import, everything else was but muck beneath their feet.

He stopped when Charon did and understanding that the ancient was using Zoherets current conversation with her companions as an excuse to take precious time away from his duties as host to converse privately with him, he intended to quickly and efficiently as possable answer Charons questions when they were interrupted by a stunning blonde vampire, and; he assumed by his and Charons quick discussion, the wolf he had heard howling moments ago. This new vampire was another that managed to register as been old, he lacked the accumulated weight Charons age pressed upon him but it was enough for Saraekiel to regard him with some interest and slight curiosity.

After the pair had left he returned to their conversation and explained how he had lived in the city on and off for many years, that he and Charon were basically neighbors, and his general joy and appreciation of the city he lived in. He then quite eloquently expressed his sorrow and disappointment at the recent actions of one Jake McCload and how he found his murderous and tyrannical grasp at power disquieting to say the least and that his obviously contemptuous regard of other species was both alarming and totally unacceptable.

As Zoherets conversation was apparently coming to a close he once again offered his arm to Charon.

“I have been counseled that my solution to the current unpleasantness, although totally understandable, may not be the best solution and that I should try and find a more amicable and peaceful way to bring peace, stability and equality amongst the different races back to the city. Hence why I have decided to confide in you. I know this is not the right time and that I have quite rudely monopolized your time this evening, but I can see you are a respected Elder and Leader of your people and so I was hoping that I may call upon you, if not next evening then some time very soon and that mayhap between us we can find a mutually amicable and peaceful solution to this unpleasantness.” He said as he restarted their approach to Zoheret and her group

“Because, and I hope you can understand and empathize with me here Charon. Although I am more than open to finding a peaceful resolution, I have been forced to serve time beneath the heel of a tyrant before and I have absolutely no intentions of ever doing so again”

He relaxed as he slowly escorted Charon towards their target, the glorious and unparalleled beauty that was Zoheret. and leaving behind Sabrina and her new paramour. When she had mentioned she was looking for her friends she hadn't been joking and apparently she had many of them.

At Charon’s seemingly innocent question though he stopped a second in consideration before continuing. Obviously Charon asked simply to pass the time it would take them to get from the stairs to where Zoheret held her mini court of vampiric admirers; and who could blame them for said admiration, and no doubt Charon was participation in polite conversation in an attempt to get to know him better as a host would with an unknown but valued and interesting guest, which naturally he was. He considered answering in the same vein, light, easy, maybe a little playful and frivolous but decided to opt for truth instead. He kind of liked this timeless but ancient vampire and anyone who had not only survived the eons this creature had deserved a certain level of respect and honesty.

“Lately I have been making plans to wage war of a biblical scale on the vampires of this city” he said quietly enough that only Charon would hear. His words were simple, there was no ego, or malice, no smugness, or threat in his tone or his touch and if Charon were to look at him in surprise at his revelation, he would see Sarakiel spoke with no hint of madness, zeal or fervor on his face or in his eyes. He simply spoke with truth, a cool, sharp conviction and with iron resolve. The grass was green, the sky blue, Zoheret was perfection personified and he was planning to wage war on the vampires.

He assumed Sabrina was coming with them and catching the feeling of her curiosity and interest he started to offer his arm to her as well. The thought of having both the veritable ancient and the towering beauty on his arms as he escorted them across the garden was amusing indeed. He turned to verbally extend his escort invitation when he saw this new and unknown vampire rush towards them. He moved like a shadow, he was so fast he was almost impossible to follow even with his angelic eyesight.

Was he under attack? Was this the reason he was here, to be killed before he became a threat? To remove any hiccup to the obviously vampiric plan to take complete control of the city for themselves. A plan made obvious by the recent and uncalled for sacking, slaughter and unsanctioned claiming of the Western district. The West had been happy being leaderless and everyone there had lived in harmony for the last eighteen months that was until these carrion crows, these graveyard maggots crawled back out of the wood works.

He narrowed his eyes and had barely enough time to summon the tiniest flicker of elemental flame to the hand that was closest to the approaching vampire, the one he was offering Sabrina before the vampire was before him; and genuflecting all over the demoness beside him. Luckily the flame was of the palest of colour and minuscule, barely flickering over his skin and fingertips before disappearing. Feeling slightly foolish and annoyed for being even remotely unsettled he dropped his hand and arm to his side and hoped neither of his companions noticed his little slip. Vampires apparently could move almost as fast as plane shifting. Interesting, it gave him something to think about as he continued to hold his arm up for Charon whilst continuing to watch this new arrival.

“I understand Flick” she said with deep sincerity. How could she not? Being what she was. She felt her power within her, it was a power that would separate her completely from everything and everyone around her and it was growing every day, had been growing ever since she came to the city. If she gave into it she wouldn’t be Shiobhan anymore. Heck she never could be normal, everyday, just another farm girl, girl next door Shiobhan anyway. The most normal she could pull off was Shiobhan the Weirdo, Shiobhan the Strange. Her Aunts constantly said her gifts, her powers, were a gift and that she should embrace them, all of them and by doing so become her true self, but what was her true self? Some super uber Witch Queen with the power of the cosmos at her fingertips? She didn’t want that, had never wanted that. So yeah, she understood what Flick meant. Where did she belong? Where did she fit in? Who was she?

She even understood what he meant about humans and their overwhelming tendency to destroy and defile. She placed her fingers under Flicks lupine chin and gazed into his eyes.

“My kind has been hunted and destroyed by humans too Flick, we have been burned and tortured, raped and defiled, vilified and hated and I don’t mean just by humans. My line of witches has been hunted and killed by human and witches alike. We tend to be more powerful than most and many witches believed that because of our actual so-called bloodline” she snorted with amused disbelief “If we turned dark, we become virulently so, therefore we were feared and had to be watched, controlled and or killed.” She smiled and rolled her eyes, letting the wolf know this was all ancient history and most likely bogus. “Luckily for me, my bloodline has nearly died out and I suspect by natural reasons than some imagined hate fueled vendetta and is now exceedingly rare, in fact we are believed to be extinct. Just a legend in the foot note in the history book of Witches”

She scratched his chin and sighed slightly, this talk of history and folklore made her uneasy. Her new friend must think her weird, how could she, a witch not believe in all things supernatural. She believed in magic, naturally. But magic wasn’t a supernatural force, it was simply natural, it was energy and some few people like herself had the ability to tap into it, resonate with it and manipulate it but it was also a skill that could be taught, that could be learnt to some degree. She really was a freak in that department.

Like the way she was communicating with the wolf now. She could feel the unique vibration of their connection and apparently, she had an innate ability to use it but it was still natural, a skill that could be taught, learned or so she suspected with the right knowledge and enough training and pratice. It didn’t mean that the fae walked the streets and lived in the woods, waiting at crossroads to kidnap the unwary and the foolish. It didn’t mean Angels were going to pop out of the ether battling demons and blowing on the heavenly trumpets or that the undead were going to crawl out of the graveyards and their crypts searching for some warm-blooded mortal to feast upon. That was nonsense surely, if it were real then the world would be in complete chaose. Imagine.

Yet here she was sitting on the beach under a full moon scratching the chin of a so called shifter. She looked into the eyes of her new friend and felt a shiver of unease crawl down her spine.